Go-cart.



A. J. ADAMS.

Patented Nov. 21, "1911.

2 SEEETSSHEET 1 A. J. ADAMS.

GO UART.

AYPLIOATION FILED SEPT. 6, 1910.

Patented Nov. 21, 1911.

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ARTHUR J. ADAMS, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS, ASSIGNOR TOl FULTON MANUFACTURING COMPANY, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS, A CORPORATION OF ILLINOIS.

GO-GABT.

Specification of Letters Patent. Patented NOV. 21, 1911.

Application filed Sep ember 6, 1910. Serial No. 580,468.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, ARTHUR ADAMS, a

citizen of the United States, residing at Chi-- cage, in the county of Cook and State of Illinois, have invented anew and useful Iniprovement in GO-Carts, of which the follow ing is a specification.

My invention relates particularly to seatmounting means for go-carts; and my primary object is to provide an improved resilient mounting for the seats of go-carts of tlie folding type, which, While affording a very high degree of spring action to the seat, will not in any wise interfere with the coinpact folding'of a' structure of this kind.

The invention is illustrated in its preferred embodiment/in the accompanying drawings, in which- 1 Figure 1, represents a broken longitudinal sectional-view of a go-cart embodying my invention, the section being taken asindicated at line 1 of Fig. 2; and Fig.2 a hori zontal section taken asindicated at line 2 of Fig. 1. i 1

In the construction illustrated, A. represents a running-gear frame; B, wheel forks, or wheel-supports, adapted to be folded in- Wardlyin pairs beneath-the running-gear frame,'about pivots 1, in

manner C, a handle connected by pivots 2 a well understood with the rear portion of the runninggear frame, and adapted to be folded forwardly to aposition substantially parallel with the running-gearframe D, side-arms connected at their rear ends with the side bars of the handle C, and connected at their front ends with arms or links D which are joined by pivots 3 to the running-gear frame, said arms D having connected therewith a U- shaped member l joined, to wheel-folding mechanism 5, constitutingho port on of the present invention; E, a lock hg device for the SHImlStI'UQtllIO equippcd'with releasing means E"; a nd F,:i'seat mounted on the running-gear frame irf'the improved manner hereinafter set forth, "said equipped witha with the folding structurcof the go-cart in a mannerto insure the automatic folding of the back in the operation of folding the structure.

The locking-mechanism E, releasing means -15 therefor, and the back I which are all connected with the folding-superstructure of the cart,, 'are f set forth and H" I being. back I which is connected claimed in my application No. 5804167, filed of even date herewith.

The running-gear frame A may be of any suitable construction. As shown, it comprises side-meinbers 6 formed integrally with the front cross-bar 7; and crossbar-s 8 and 9 connecting the side-members 6 in the vicinity of the front and rear wheel-forks, respectively. The side -members are equipped with brackets 10 which support the pivots 1 for the wheel-forks, said brack' ets being joined by braces 11 to the cross; members 8 and 9. I

The .go-cart illustrated. is of the so-called one-motion folding type, and the general construction and operation are similar to the construction and operation of the gocart disclosed in my pending application No. 54:6,926. It sufiicient to add, in'this conncction, that when the locking-mechanism E is released, the superstructure may be folded with relation to the running-gear frame by swinging the handle 0 forwardly,

and that in this operation the mechanism 5 a operates to fold the wheels transversely beneath the running-gear frame.

The seat i may be of any suitable construction, such seats being commonly upholstered, or provided with cushions. -As shown, the seat comp-rises a board or plate 12 whose rear end is supported on leafsprings 13 (shown as three in'nuinbcr), which are rigidly attached at their front ends, by brackets bl, to the cross-member 8 of the running-gear frame. The rear 'ends of the springs 133 are secured to a cross-bar 15 which extendstransversely beneath the rear margin of the seat, and has upturned extremities 16. A pair of lovers or links 17,

located at opposite sidcs'of the seat, extend from the arms 16 to points near the front ends of the side-members (3 of the runninggear frame, said members 17 having their rear ends connected, by pivots 18, to the upturned extremities l6 oi" lhecross-bar 15, and having their front endsconnccted with headed studs 19 which project inwardly from the inner surfaces of the front portions of the side members of the running-gear frame. As appearsfrom Fig. 1, the front ends of the bars or members 17 are provided with longitudinal slots 20 throughwhich the studs 19 pass. ,On the (intermediate portions of the links or members 17 is mounted a QX'OS-b2,l', 01'SB at- SHPP OIft 2 1, which serves to portion of the seat and in part by the front portions of the side-members 6 of the running-gear frame, it will be understood that the seat, as a whole, is resiliently mounted, and it will be understood that the purpose of the slots 20 is to permit freedom of movement to the seat when the springs 13 yield under load.

. Vhile the manner of mounting the back F and connecting it with the foldingsuperstructure are fully explained and claimed in my above-mentioned application.

filed of evendate herewith, it is proper to state here that the back is equipped with straps or hinge-members 24 which are con nected with the pivots 18 carried by the members 16, and the back-adjusting mechanism 25 which is mounted on the seat, or its supporting means, permits the back to be placed either in a standing position, a

half-reclining position, or a full-reclining position, and said back adjusting mechanism serves also to automatically fold 'the back forwardly upon the seat in the operation of folding the go-cart structure. The mechanism 25 comprises a pair of levers 26 connected by pivots 27 with the members 17 some distance in front of the pivots 18; a pair of links 28 connecting the lower ends of the levers 26 with arms 29 carried by the side-members of the lever 4, the connection being made by means of studs and slots 30; and a U-shaped back-engaging member 31 having forwardly, extending arms 32, which are connected by pivots to the upper ends of the lovers 26. The arms 32 are provided at their lower edges with notches or recesses 34 which rest upon studs 35 carried by the members 16. Said arms 32 are also provided with irregular slots 36 which are engaged by studs 37 carried by the hinge-members 24, the slots 36 being so shaped as to permit adjustment of the back to either of the three positions mentioned. The web or cross-bar 38 of the back-engaging-member 31 is located in the rear of the back F, and serves to adjust the back in either of the three positions mentioned.

It will be understood from the foregoing description that while the seat is resiliently mounted, as; a whole, the mounting is of such character and is so arranged with relation to the folding-structure of the goeart as not to interfere with the operation of folding the structure into compact form. Uorcover, the resilient mounting employed is of such character as to afford to the seat the utmost range of spring action desirable in this class of construction, as well as to insure substantially parallel movement of the seat, regardless of disposition of the load.

The foregoing detailed description has been given for clearness of understanding only, and no undue limitation should be understood therefrom, but the appended claims should be construed as broadly as permissible in view of the prior art.

What I regard as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is:

1. In a structure of the character set forth, the combination with a running-gear frame, of a seat, a spring mounted on the frame near the front end of the seat and having its rear end supporting the rear end of the seat, a lever connecting the rear portion of the seat with the frame, and a seat-supporting member mounted on said lever and carrying the front end of the seat.

2. In a structure of the character set forth, the combination with a running gear frame provided with a cross-member, of springs mounted on said cross-member and extending rearwardly, a seat having its rear por tion mounted on the rear ends of said springs, supporting-members connected with the rear portion of the seat and with the side-members of the running-gear frame in front of the seat, and a seat-supporting member mounted on said first-named supporting-members and supporting the front portion of the seat.

3. In a structure of the character set forth, the combination of a running-gear frame having a cross-member, springs mounted on said cross-member and "extending rearwardly therefrom and supporting the rear end of the seat, levers supported at their rear ends through the medium of said springs, said levers extending forwardly beneath said cross-member of the runninggear frame and having, their front ends movably connected with the side'inembers of the running-gear frame, and a member mounted on said levers and supporting the front portion of the seat.

4. In a structure of the character set forth, the combination of a running-gear frame, having a cross member, leaf-spr1ngs carried by said cross-member and extending rearwardly and upwardly from their point of attachment, a seat having its rear portion mounted on the rear ends of said springs levers extendingfrom the rear portion 0 the seat and connected at their front ends with the running-gear frame a distance in front of said cross-member, and a member mounted on said levers and supporting the front portion of the seat.

5. In a structure of the character set forth,-

.portion of said seat, levers supported at.

their rear ends through the medium of said spring' and at the other end carried by the runnin gear frame, and a member mounted on said levers and supporting the other end of said seat. l

6. In a structure of the character set forth, the combination of a running-gear frame,

springs supportedat their front ends by said running-gear frame, a cross-member carried by the rear ends of said springs and having up-turned ends, a seat mounted at its rear end on said cross-member between said up-turned ends, levers. connected at their rear ends with the up-turned ends of said cross-member and connected at their front ends with the side-members of the running-gear frame, and a U-shape member having down-turned ends secured to said levers and having a Web supporting the front-portion of the seat.

ARTHUR J. ADAMS.

' In presence of i J G. ANDERSON, R. A. SCHAEFER. 

